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Mid-engine Corvette won't happen, GM says

It's official: There's no mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette on the horizon. That's the word from General Motors' top global engineer.

As for a Corvette with a hybrid powertrain, that remains a possibility.

Karl-Friedrich Stracke, GM vice president of global vehicle engineering, on Tuesday discussed a wide range of topics--including the next-generation Corvette.

Over the past two years or so, countless Web and print stories have been written about the upcoming redesigned Corvette, and nearly all have speculated that GM was developing a mid-engine model. Speculation regarding the timing for the mid-engine car's debut was anywhere from the 2014 model year to several years later.

Stracke said he was familiar with those stories: “I don't know who made this public. I think it is wrong.”

On Wednesday, when asked for clarification about Stracke's comments, Dan Flores, a GM communications spokesman, said Stracke “is quashing those rumors.”

“The rumors and speculation about the Corvette are just that. There is no mid-engine in the plans” nor any plans for a wet dual-clutch transmission.

Earlier this month, a story attributed to a Saab engineer said the Swedish automaker had developed a wet dual-clutch transmission for a mid-engine Corvette, according to Autocar.co.uk.

The transmission supposedly had been created when Saab was part of GM. Stracke has been the head of GM global engineering since December.

Talk about a mid-engine Corvette has been a hot topic in chat rooms. But not everyone is in favor of that engine configuration, which puts the engine behind the driver and passenger seats instead of the usual spot, under the hood.

On the subject of eight cylinders versus six--another hot topic online--Stracke said GM is not testing a V6-powered Corvette. However, asked whether a hybrid powertrain will ever be offered in a Corvette, Stracke said, “That is an interesting idea.”

“Porsche has announced a full hybridization for their complete lineup. What can they do? They need it” to meet CAFÉ rules, he said.

“The customer always wants power. That will not go away,” so automakers will need to improve fuel economy along with offering better performance, he said.

Stracke said automakers, including GM, could decide on a strategy that limits the number of conventional powertrains in their sports cars.

“You could keep a normal powertain configuration for a small amount of very excited car enthusiasts,” Stracke said. “And turn 80 to 90 percent of your sports-car portfolio to hybridization.”